Encouraging Agile Working in London

If you want to get more from your London-based team, then perhaps it’s time to loosen the reins a little – learn how agile working can benefit your business.

Did you know that absenteeism in the workplace is found to be reduced by as much as 63% when staff members are given the opportunity to work flexibly? Similarly, those who are encouraged to achieve a positive work-life balance outside of the traditional workplace are found to be 20% more productive than their office-based colleagues. These are just a couple of the benefits of agile working – a style of working that encourages employees to find a work pattern that suits their circumstances in return for offering enhanced performance for an organisation.

As the financial hub of the country, the City of London attracts 300,000 commuters each day and many more in other areas of Greater London. However, with agile working there can be a significant decrease in commuting to the office, meaning that CO2 emissions can also be reduced across the city. Read on to discover more about agile working in the capital.

The Differences Between Agile and Flexible Working

There are definite overlaps between the notions of agile and flexible working. The idea is that work is a set of tasks that we carry out, rather than a place or office that we attend. With advancements in technology, there are many digital solutions that your staff can use to connect from their homes, or other remote locations which can potentially allow you to put a global team together. The time saved by commuting to work can mean several extra hours per week spent working, which benefits the employer. And that’s where the biggest difference between agile and flexible working exists. Flexible working is largely designed to be of advantage to the employee – to allow them to balance family life, or a health condition with work commitments. However, agile working is very much focused on the possible rewards for both employer and employee.

Agile in Four Areas

Agility in the work environment can be obtained across four different areas, although some of these categories may be limited depending on the role you work in.

Time – refers to when the employee works and how they choose their work patterns – whether there are set hours, compressed hours or the ability to swap hours with a colleague

Location – this is where home-working comes in. However, agile working can also refer to hot desks in a London office, quiet zones with no telephones, team tables and entirely mobile roles where the staff have no office base.

Role – are there job rotations or secondments? Are employees able to set their own tasks?

Source – what is the commitment level of the employees – are they permanent staff, on fixed contracts, or perhaps freelancers, outsourced or crowdsourced volunteers?

Productive Agile Teams

When employees are trusted to set their own schedules and pattern of working, they are empowered to belong to a work culture that rewards based on performance and merit rather than artificial measures of competency such as clocking in by 9am and taking a maximum of 1 hour for lunch. However, it’s also essential that employers invest in corporate team building in London to ensure a positive rapport and collaboration between work colleagues when they’re working flexibly.

If you want to get more out of your team, then it’s time to start trusting them. Adopt an agile work strategy for your London organisation and benefit from increased efficiency, less absenteeism and a great morale boost!